Regional Victorians

More waterways have been closed to duck shooting in Florida US out of respect for residents, concern for birdlife and public safety. Quotes from the Orlando Sentinel May 1, 2019; .". residents became concerned — not just about the loud sound of boom! boom! boom! at the crack of dawn but also about the safety of having hunters so close to homes. “Very early in the morning you would hear gun blasts, and you don’t know if it’s a shooting at the OK Corral,” “People like to sleep

Jeff Kennett cancelled a duck shooting season in 1995. The Bracks government cancelled three during the Millennium drought. Yet in two weeks time, the Andrews government will open thousands of our public waterways across the state to unmonitored shooting of our desperately struggling native waterbirds despite low bird numbers and unprecedented climatic conditions. Many birds have flown to Victoria seeking refuge in areas where there is water, only to become sitting ducks for

Did you know... Around the world, communities are reaping the rewards of revering their birdlife. In the US, birdwatching is a $41 billion industry. After just ten years, "The Biggest Week in American Birding Festival" has put Northwest Ohio on the International map, with over 90,000 visitors from 52 countries coming to this one area for a week bringing their $40 million with them. In Columbia, quieting war zones have given rise to locals being able to prosper from birdwatche

Dear Friends, Sadly, Labor has failed our desperately low numbers of native waterbirds - many unique to our country - as well as our financially struggling Victorian rural communities (SGS Economics 2018 ), in allowing a further native waterbird shooting season in 2019. Our pitifully low numbers of birds include those that fled from QLD and NSW seeking refuge from crippling drought conditions. On Victorian waterways (those still with some water), these birds will be sitting

We could do an experiment at Lake Daylesford, Weeroona or Wendouree, but thankfully there is no need. The studies have been done. Research by The Australia Institute in 2012, found over 50% of holiday makers would avoid areas where duck shooting was occurring. This research was conducted before the explosion in popularity of nature based activities like bushwalking, visits to nature parks and indigenous culture sites (Tourism Research Australia 2018). Hence the number of tho

Uncontrolled shooting & the prospect of decentralisation. Families living around tens of thousands of waterways can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The three month shooting of our native waterbirds dawn to dusk is over, for now. It was a surprise the season went ahead at all. Only months prior, Ministers had committed to animal welfare and regional development. There’s no doubt about the inhumane suffering of our native waterbirds caused by shotgun pellet spray (one reason

You may have seen our TV ads conveying our message. The duck shooting "debate" is often centred around animal welfare or the alleged "rights" of shooters to enjoy their recreational past time. But there is a third significant stakeholder whose collective voice is going unnoticed. It's those of us who own property, run businesses and raise families in these communities. For at least three months out of twelve, our daily lives are disrupted. Our basic human rights to live and w

RURAL STAKEHOLDERS TURN TO TV TO BE HEARD. It's time to listen to the professional polls which say the vast majority of Victorians want duck shooting banned. It's time to heed thousands of letters and many tens of thousands of signatures on petitions from Victorians who want duck shooting banned. It's time to heed advice of independent experts in areas of ecoscience, animal welfare, birdlife and economics who advise duck shooting should be banned. It's time to concede that th